Quilting Bloggers

Quilter Blogs

Follow by Email

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Today is another exciting quilting day. Several posts ago, I mentioned that a local quilt shop was going to offer my Party in the Garden quilt as a block of the month. Sign-ups start today at ThimbleCreek in Concord, California! Check out the information HERE at the ThimbleCreek Gazette.

The colorway is different than the original. I'm working hard to finish the new one. There are lots of checks, stripes, and flanges of course!

This block is now all stitched and I'm working on the block below it this week.

Contrary to popular belief, I do not sit and quilt all day, everyday.....well almost. Yesterday, Joe, Zinnie and I went for a hike by White Pines Lake. It was a very pleasant walk that took us along the Arnold Rim Trail. We walked in the morning, since rain and hail showers have been popping up in the afternoon.

Last week, we set off on a trail that a neighbor suggested. This was a very remote trail deep in the heart of bear and mountain lion country. This walk made me, and Joe a bit cautious. Zinnie had a ball and was completely oblivious to the fact that she, and we were potential bear bait. The only way we would do this hike again, is with a large contingent of fellow hikers that hike much slower than we do.....if you catch my drift! I have way too many quilts that need to be finished before I head out to this remote location again! I always email or call a family member to advise them of our daily activities and location. That way if we get lost, the search party knows where to begin looking for our bodies us.

Today is another quilting day while I rest up my aching joints from our last outing.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Are you old enough to remember when Memorial Day was called Decoration Day? I remember my Grandparents calling it Decoration Day, but to me it was always Memorial Day.

I should call today Decoration Day, because I always put up a patriotic display in my bay window and I'll keep it there until the 4th of July. This years display is my rendition of what it is to be as American as apple pie. I did not make the quilt, but I loved it as soon as I saw the plaids in red, white and blue.

We received the flag when my father-in-law, a veteran of WWII and the Korean War passed away. My sister has the flag that was given to our family when our father passed away. He served in WWII. My uncle, and my second cousin also served in WWII.

My dear husband enlisted in the Air Force just as the Vietnam War began. He was a jet mechanic and volunteered to go to Vietnam, but at the time, helicopter mechanics were needed. All of his buddies were being shipped to Vietnam while he remained stateside, many never returned.

Patriotism runs strong and deep in our family. This is our day to say thank you to all of the men and women serving our country. This is our day to say thank you to the families who have suffered the loss of a loved one while serving our country. This is our day to remember our own family members who served our country.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

We have a start date of July 15th for the Minglewood Monday block of the month! This gives me six more weeks to select fabric and make more blocks to get ahead of the pack! Click here for all of the pertinent details at the In Between Stitches website. Melissa and Leslie have put together a wonderful BOM program. So wonderful that there are two other program that I want to make too!

I named the program Minglewood Monday, because I will be posting the blocks on the Monday before the shipments go out in the mail. You will be able to refer to the pictures and I'll post hints and tips on how to construct the block. (You know you can right mouse click on any picture to enlarge it.)

You will be making two of each block in the book and you will be making four, 12-1/2" blocks per month. No two blocks will be made out of the same fabric. I'm going to incorporate every color of the Civil War palette.

This blocks is called Kaleidoscope and was the most challenging block so far. Photography doesn't lie. I swear the fabric in the corners didn't look at all directional when I was cutting and piecing. I guess I know what I will be ripping out today! This error will drive me crazy....but at least it is an easy one to fix.

Friday, May 27, 2011

I'm loving every minute working on the Minglewood blocks. This block is called Crown Over Star.

The next two blocks are called Coronation. It has been fun trying to decide on fabric placement for all of the parts and pieces of the blocks using fabric from the Carolina fabric line. A couple non-Carolina fabrics were added to the mix to change things around a bit.

Some of the blocks have more pieces than others. I prefer blocks with lots and lots of components. They are more challenging when it comes to fabric selection and piecing skills.

I've also been working on swatch sheets for each block so everyone will know what fabric to put where. I scan all of the fabrics before I start cutting, and create the swatch sheet while making the blocks. I never knew my computer would be one of my indispensable quilting tools.

All I want to do is work on these blocks! I love them and I can't wait to select the fabric for the sashings and border.....but that is just going to have to wait until I get more of the blocks made so I can make an informed decision. New fabric arrives weekly at the shop, so it is going to be fun to see what become the perfect match and finish for this quilt. Nine blocks done.....23 to go! This is going to be a BIG quilt.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

You haven't heard from me for a couple of days because I worked two days in a row down at the shop! I hardly ever work two days in a row. I had two glorious days to look at the new Carolina fabric line by Jo Morton for Andover Fabrics. I had enough time to select fabric from this line for four more blocks for the Minglewood Monday program. I know I keep mentioning it, and we will start taking sign ups soon.

How patriotic is this collection of colors? As Memorial Day approaches, I thought it would be fun to post a red, white and blue block.

This block looks good with the last block I completed. Every color of Civil War fabric is going to be in this quilt. It is fun to mix and match the newer fabric with some of the older fabrics. When I say older, I'm talking just a few months old. The Civil War section at the shop is one of the most popular sections.

The picket fence applique block is finished and I started making more yo yo's for Kim Diehl's quilt. I never have a lack of projects to work on!﻿

Saturday, May 21, 2011

It is almost time to start the new BOM at the In Between Stitches. I'm working hard to get as many blocks made as I can and I'll be posting all of the details soon for the Minglewood Monday BOM. The book, Four Seasons at Minglewood by Debbie Roberts is full of eye candy. My sister has been going through it every morning for the last three days while sipping her morning coffee.

Here are the fabrics that I selected for Month #2. I couldn't resist cutting into them yesterday while the girls worked on their puzzle. I like little pieces of fabric, but I'm not overly fond of thousands of little puzzle pieces requiring two card tables. One for the pieces and one for the puzzle.

This block is called Flaming Star. I'll be making it with other colors in the next few days. I have found the directions to be very clear cut and the block measures a precise 12-1/2".

This is a picture of the Flaming Star block in the book. Remember, I'm making the quilt in Civil War fabrics. Maybe someday I'll make a Christmas version.

I'll let you know when the program is going to start taking sign-ups. Each month you will receive 10-12 fat eighths which is enough fabric to make (4) 12-1/2" blocks. There may even be a bonus block or two along the way. I can't resist mixing up my fabric assortment and combining my leftovers together. We'll see just what I come up with over the next year.

Friday, May 20, 2011

I've been spending all of my time working on this cute little picket fence block for Party in the Garden. I'll spend my evenings stitching all of the pieces down. I should work on this during the day when the light is better, but I like to sit back, put my feet up, and just stitch away in the evenings. If I'm doing something while watching TV, I don't feel like I'm wasting so much of my time.

My cousin Melody, and my sister Gail are here with us at the cabin. Melody starts radiation next week, so this was the perfect time for a getaway for all of us. We've worked on a puzzle, walked around the neighborhood, played Rummikub, relaxed, laughed, and last night cheered our way through American Idol.

You know what they say about laughter being the best medicine......we are all taking in healthy doses. The three of us have grown up together, and we are growing old together.

We have so many things to celebrate. Two years ago today, the whole family was in Hawaii sharing the joyful marriage of our son Kade, to his beautiful bride Athena. We love Athena like a daughter and feel so fortunate she is part of the family.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Hello Everyone,

One of my favorite aspects of designing quilts, is receiving pictures of my completed designs from quilters all over the country. I received these pictures of my Heartfire pattern from Joy in Ohio. Here is what Joy said:

I just finished sewing on the label to my rendition of your Heartfire pattern. I have made this for our son, Matthew, and his fiancée, Kate, who will be married on July 16, 2011. Kate has chosen fuchsia, orange and red with a touch of black as her wedding colors. On what will more than likely be a very hot and steamy day, those colors will add to the festive atmosphere. You can see in their quilt that I used primarily Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett fabrics and the black with a hot pink dot was used as a neutral. One of my trademarks is using my leftovers for the backing; a little zingy, but fun.

Joy is going to give this beautiful treasure to Matthew and Kate on Sunday. I wish I could be a little mouse in the room to see their reaction when they open their gift! Joy is a woman after my own heart with the scrappy back that she made. I love every aspect of your quilt!

Joy, you gave me great JOY by sending me your pictures. I can't thank you enough.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Tuesday was another great day in the classroom at In Between Stitches. I lead the group in making The House on Edgewood Lane. Cindy purchased her quilt kit last year, so she was the first to put some completed blocks and applique center section up on the wall.

Great organizational skills! These blocks were all cut, sorted and ready to be sewn.

There was fabric everywhere. Carol raided her stash and brought in bags of scraps. She is making this quilt for her son and his family.

The fabric was in every color of the rainbow.

This fabric is a fat quarter tower called Arnold's Attic. Ann is making the quilt for her family room in this warm, rich palette.

Barbara pulled fabric from her stash and can you tell she loves brights. This pattern is a good stash buster since it is so scrappy.

Wanda also selected fabric from her stash and is combining Civil War and Fig Tree fabric. It is a winning combination.

Lisa selected mainly Fig Tree fabric with some cute polka dots and prints from a few other lines that coordinate beautifully.

By lunch, the block components started appearing on the walls.

The blocks are fun to make and are interchangeable. The girls were moving the nine nine patch centers around to audition them with other bordering fabrics.

Isn't this cute!

Lisa has a pile of squares all set and ready to go to do some power sewing for her nine-patch centers.

Barbara grabbed the wrong project box from home. She spent the day working on these wonderful little pinwheels for a Halloween quilt called Ichabod Hollow designed by Joe Wood.﻿ She will have a whole month to work on Edgewood Lane before our next class meeting.

So much creativity in one room! The girls have their homework assignments, ﻿so more to come next month after we meet again.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

This is my last block of the day with the 53 pieces. It isn't hard, just extremely time consuming. I managed to work in another plaid!

While I was upstairs in my sewing room, I stitched these blocks together for my Party in the Garden block of the month.

I added just a little touch of embroidery the other night. Just enough to add a bit of interest and whimsy. I can do some echo quilting around the green stems which will enhance the background.

The mailbox didn't want to get left out and needed some embroidery also.﻿

I love the needlepoint fabric from Blackbird Designs. It add just the perfect, old-fashioned accent to this block.

This might be my last post for the Christmas Quilt Along today. My poor camera is limping along ,so we may do some camera shopping. I hear 'cha ching, cha ching' in the background. A replacement for my camera is going to be a bit costly. Mr. Joe has been reading the camera ads while I quilt, so we can do some price comparisons.

Here's what I've completed so far. I'm always adding stripes, and plaids into the mix of fabrics.

I want the quilt to look Christmasy buy not be overtly Christmas so that I can display it anytime of the year.

The CF card on my camera is having a "hissy fit" so I don't know how many more times I can post today. I think it might be time for a new camera. We just replaced the CF card a couple of weeks ago. I want to sew today, I don't want to go camera shopping!

It is Christmas Quilt Along day! One of my favorite days of the month. This month, Sue is leading the group. Thank you Sue!

This morning I started working on all 53 little pieces for this 8-1/2" block. If nothing else, I have to concentrate on accuracy which ﻿isn't easy to do early in the morning! Coffee, where's my coffee?

The block is done.....and not too bad.﻿

Eight blocks down....twelve more to go. I'll also make some more sashings and nine patch posts today. I love the country look and feel of this quilt.....very homey. Even though I only work on this quilt one day a month during the QAL, it is coming together slowly but surely. By Christmastime, I will be so glad that I started this in February.﻿